The Middle Ages and the Renaissance PDF

## The Middle Ages and the Renaissance ### The Middle Ages (1000 years) * **Dominated by faith**: Knowledge is established in a single way, and people think in a single way. * **The rise of the Middle Ages**: Knowledge of the earthly world was required, not just the divine. ### Class #4 - 04/10/...

## The Middle Ages and the Renaissance ### The Middle Ages (1000 years) * **Dominated by faith**: Knowledge is established in a single way, and people think in a single way. * **The rise of the Middle Ages**: Knowledge of the earthly world was required, not just the divine. ### Class #4 - 04/10/2024 ### Class #5 - 11/10/2024 #### Historical Timeline * **16th and 17th centuries**: Faith and the Bible were the main sources of knowledge. * **Change in Paradigm**: The arrival of humanism brought interest in the body, the glorious things of the ancient Greek world, and art. * **Other interests**: Geography, astronomy, chemistry, and the divine. This move was a shift from theocentricism (God-centered) to anthropocentrism (human-centered). * **The rise of humanism**: People began to understand the world through human senses. New sciences such as mathematics, physics, and astronomy began to emerge. * **The spread of knowledge**: The printing press made information more accessible, and the Renaissance revolutionized the way people thought. #### The Impact of the Printing Press * **Diffusion of knowledge**: The printing press allowed for information to be disseminated more widely. * **Shift in power**: Luther, a monk who questioned the Catholic Church, used the printing press to spread his ideas during the Protestant Reformation. * **Clash of ideas**: The Protestant Reformation was a challenge to the Catholic Church, and the conflict led to a shift in European power. * **The role of the Church**: The Church attempted to counter the Reformation, but its power was weakening. #### The Renaissance and the Modern World * **The elite:** The elite class was mostly Protestant and controlled the economy and society. * **The rise of cities:** The rise of cities led to a new class of merchants, bankers, and intellectuals. * **The spread of ideas:** The Renaissance saw a revival of art, literature, and science, and these ideas spread throughout Europe. * **The Enlightenment:** The Enlightenment was a movement that emphasized reason, progress, and individual liberty. #### Key Concepts * **The concept of progress:** The Enlightenment placed a high value on progress and human reason. * **The individual:** The Enlightenment emphasized the individual over the collective. * **Natural law:** The Enlightenment believed that natural law governed human affairs. #### Conclusion The Middle Ages and the Renaissance were crucial periods that shaped Western Civilization. They witnessed major changes in religion, politics, and culture, paving the way for the modern world.